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North Korea sends special envoy to China @BPW

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un sent his special envoy to China on Tuesday, a visit the U.S. knew about in advance, the U.S. State Department said.

Patrick Ventrell, the acting deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said on Wednesday that the U.S. and China both support the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to move forward diplomatically with North Korea.

"China did notify us in advance of the visit, but we really refer you to the Government of China for more information," Ventrell said. "You do know that the U.S. and China - that we're of the same view that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is essential if we're to move forward in any diplomatic process with North Korea. So we're very much in agreement with the Chinese on that, but I refer you to them for more details."

When asked if the bilateral talks between North Korea and Japan and the most recent visit to China would lead to a six-party talk, Ventrell said that having the major world powers on the same page is what's most important.

"What's important is that all five parties share fundamental security interests in North Korea, including the paramount goal of verifiable denuclearization," Ventrell said. "So that's the goal. We're going to continue to remain in close collaboration with the other members. But we agree that denuclearization is central to our collaborative efforts to engage North Korea and that North Korea must live up to its commitments."